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Pita Bread and Hummus

We are cooking again in San Clemente. Today I am making the easiest pita bread you will ever find and hummus that will make you want to cry. Well maybe smile, not cry.

NO Bake Pita Bread

1 1/2 teaspoon yeast

1 cup warm water (110 degrees f)

1 cup regular flour

1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 3/4 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups regular flour

additional flour for dusting and oil for rising bowl

Heat water and mix with yeast in the bowl of your mixer along with the 1 cup of flour. Mix with the whisk attachment until completely blended. Allow to sit for 15 minutes until bubbly and starting to grow. Add balance of ingredients and mix with the dough hook for 8 minutes until the dough is soft and has formed a ball on the hook. Take dough out, shape in a ball tucking the ends under and add a few drops of olive oil to the bottom of the bowl as well as the ball of dough. Cover with cling film and a dish towel and allow to rest and grow for the next two hours.

When double in size take out of bowl, pat down to a disk and cut into 8 same size pieces. Roll each piece into a ball tucking the ends under and sprinkle with flour. Allow to sit for a few minutes while the cast iron skillet heats – do not add oil. Roll each ball into a flat disk and gently lay into the bottom of the skillet. Lower the heat to medium and cook for a few minutes. It should start to puff up and get nice brown spotted on the underside. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Now turn over once again and cook for a few more minutes. Place on a dish towel in a basket while you finish making the others. If at this point you do not want to make the rest you can refrigerate the dough making sure it is covered completely with the cling film and when you go to use the next day just allow the dough to warm up a bit before cooking.

Hummus

2 cups cooked chickpeas

1 cup cooking water from chickpeas or fresh water

1/2 cup Tahiti (sesame paste) include some of the oil

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, grated fine

Salt and Pepper

1 Tablespoon fresh cumin, ground

Juice of 1/2 lemon

2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

extra olive oil and cilantro for garnish

In a food processor add chickpeas, tahini and olive oil Start by pulsing and drizzle water until you get the right smoothness and consistency. Add the balance of the ingredients and mix until completely blended. Taste for salt, pepper and olive oil and add more if necessary. Blend again, remove to a serving bowl, make a deep impression in the middle of the hummus and add your garnish of olive oil and cilantro to that indentation. Serve at room temperature with the pita bread. Refrigerate any left overs for the next day. In our house, there were no leftovers! Yum.